Father John Misty

I Love You, Honeybear
Father John MistySub Pop (US) and Bella Union (Europe)
-----------Father John Misty, the singer and songwriter Josh Tillman, has returned with an adventurous second album under that moniker that reinforces the fiercely inventive promise of his 2012 debut, Fear Fun. This sophomore effort, I Love You, Honeybear, is a song cycle about love, but don’t expect sappy sentiments. Instead, Tillman offers declarations that are slightly askew and far from typical, but always soulful and deeply personal. The songs are filled with an intense honesty that celebrates the grandeur of love, but refuses to hide the darker side of relationships.

As Father John Misty, Tillman pulls no punches on I Love You, Honeybear. He openly shares his naivety, vulnerability, and flaws. He reveals his deepest emotions and gives equal time to both giddy elation and underlying reservations about relationships. Tillman also isn’t shy about pointing out his partner’s same qualities.

Josh Tillman has undergone yet another metamorphosis, brought on by – what else? – love. The artist that first reinvented himself as J. Tillman, singer/songwriter, then again as rock drummer Josh Tillman (in the erstwhile Seattle band, Fleet Foxes), took the moniker Father John Misty back in 2011. He created the surprise hit album Fear Fun, full of wild, cynical tales of the debauched, narcissistic, and sometimes psychedelic-fueled adventures of this new persona. But a chance meeting with a woman, now his wife, in a neighborhood store parking lot a few years ago changed the course of his life, and hence, his songwriting and the desire to create something much more personal.

Get a jump on new music in the new year, as FUV staffers pick the artists to keep an eye (and an ear) on in 2013. And to get to know them better, follow the links to live performances in the WFUV archives.

In his new incarnation, former Fleet Foxes drummer, Josh Tillman, has delivered an album of neo-psychedelia inspired by his move from Seattle to Laurel Canyon. Tillman's always had solo projects cooking, and as Father John Misty, all his experience and hard-won insights come together in a serious artistic brew on the album, Fear Fun.